


Being Queen

by fanetjuh



Series: Jonsa Week [101]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Royalty, Drama, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24358399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanetjuh/pseuds/fanetjuh
Summary: Sansa always wanted to be Queen, but becoming Queen so soon, that was not the plan.
Relationships: Jon Snow/Sansa Stark
Series: Jonsa Week [101]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/576145
Comments: 10
Kudos: 63





	Being Queen

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is not a fluffy piece. You're warned ;-)

Sansa’s heart raced in her chest while she let her eyes wander over all the people gathered in front of her. They carried notebooks and microphones and cameras and they all seemed eager to ask her a million questions she didn’t want to answer.

What was there to say?

All her life she had dreamed about a crown on her head, knowing that she was made to be Queen. She had the brains, she had studied all the right subjects at college, she had participated in every political contest around the globe and had won more than a handful of them, she had never been bored when watching her father doing what he did best.

And when her older brother had fallen in love with a girl the government could not approve of, she had almost wrapped her arms around his neck to thank him for the amazing opportunity she had never thought she would get.

“Princess Sansa…” The prime minister cleared his throat. “Are you ready for their questions?”

Lesson one of being a Queen was showing vulnerability but never weakness. One tear rolling down her cheek would make her human. Crying millions of them would make her pathetic. So she plastered a smile on her face and nodded at the journalists. “Yes, I understand you have been waiting for me for quite some time. My apologies. I came as soon as I could.”

Without saying goodbye to Jon. Jon, who had not realized she was the crown princess of Winterfell until she had told him about it. Jon, who had loved her for who she was and not for what she was. Jon, who had knelt down only two days ago, a rose golden ring with a small diamond in a black box in the palm of his hand.

“How did you react when you heard the news of your father?”

Sansa swallowed.

Of course they would get straight to the point. No easy beginnings. No softening things up. No mercy.

The smile on her face faltered. “I think I reacted like every daughter who loses her father unexpectedly and way before it should be his time. I cried. And then I realized that the Kingdom of Winterfell needs me and grabbed my essentials and caught the first flight back.”

Robb had told her once that he found the idea of wearing the crown heavy already. He was afraid of the glass case around him, of the pressure, of always having to do the right thing and of always having to be the right person.

Sansa had never realized how true and justified his fear had been. If she had been a normal girl and daughter she would have ran to Jon. She would have buried her face in his shoulder and she would have wetted his shirt until it was soaked.

And he would have let her. He would have held her, pressed tightly to his broad chest. He would have kissed her bright red hair and he would have whispered how alright it was to feel this bad and horrible.

She hoped he had found her letter in her dorm already. And she hoped he would understand that when the period of mourning was over and when the country was in desperate need of something beautiful and festive, she would ask the government if she could marry Jon and make him her consort.

“Are you ready to take the crown and all the responsibilities coming with it?”

Sansa turned her face to another camera and another journalist. “I have been prepared for this moment my entire life. I’ve been attending meetings, advised my father and I studied every political subject Oxford had to offer.” Sansa took a deep breath. “ My father had wanted to show me the entire land so I could get to know everyone. I’m afraid I will have to do that journey on my own now.”

She bent her head. She didn’t even wear the crown yet and it felt like the entire earth rested on her shoulders. She knew this would pass. Once the worst of her grief would subside. Once she would settle into her role as Queen. Once the Kingdom would realize that she was good at this. But right now she felt more alone than she had ever felt in her entire life.

“Alone?” Another journalist brought her back to the here and now. “Not with the handsome man we have seen by your side at college?”

Sansa furrowed her eyebrows.

Her father had asked the press to stay away from the Oxford grounds, to give Sansa the chance to learn and be a student like everyone else. He had wanted her to make mistakes without having to reread them in every news article the rest of her life.

The press was not supposed to know about Jon or his existence. And they were for sure not supposed to know that he was the man she wanted by her side right now, for the tour, the coronation and her future.

“Jon and I…” She hesitated and then she took a deep breath. “He asked me to marry him a few days ago and I explained that I would have to ask permission from my government and people first. I personally don’t think that this is the right time to do so. My father should be the center of attention right now and I wouldn’t want to take that away from him.”

The journalist didn’t give anyone else the chance to come up with a new question though. “Is there a reason for the government to say no to this Jon?”

Sansa bit her lip. “I wouldn’t want to steer them towards a decision they probably do not stand behind. I know that they didn’t approve of my brother’s wife and my brother married her anyway.” She closed her eyes. “And even though it would break my heart, I would make the other choice. I love Jon. I love Jon more than I have ever loved anyone and I know that he would be an amazing Prince, precisely because he has never loved me because I’m a Princess. He is kindhearted and brave and he does everything for others. He’s selfless in the truest meaning of the word and he’s not afraid of hard work when it needs to be done.”

When she opened her eyes again, the silence in the room was almost deafening. Not one journalist tried to use the pause to sneak in another question. They didn’t even dare to breath.

“But this Kingdom already lost its crown prince because of love. It now lost its King because of a cowardly murder.” A shiver rolled down her spine. She knew very well that whoever had paid the monster who killed her father in cold blood would probably not be satisfied with just the head of her father. “My younger sister does everything in her power to find whoever is responsible for this tragedy, but I would never force her to leave the royal guard to sit on this throne. Just like I will never take my brother away from the science lab to rule a country.”

And the entire kingdom knew that Rickon’s mental problems were too severe to make him fit to rule. If Sansa would not take the throne, they would enter an unstable period where the other families would fight over the right to rule. It was the last thing Winterfell needed.

“The Starks are going through hard times. Do you think Winterfell will ever be brought back to its former glory?”

Sansa nodded firmly. “I know that people are afraid. My brother giving up the throne caused some unrest and my father’s murder frightens people. But I’m determined to rule this Kingdom to the best of my abilities and under my rule we will find our way back. I know that we have some great minds in our Kingdom and I’m sure that if we listen to those, we will get there.”

The prime minister waited another minute. Two minutes. Sansa shifted in her seat and tried to not lose her calm. Finally he spoke the freeing words. “Then we will now allow our future Queen to prepared the royal funeral and her coronation.”

Sansa stood up from her seat and with her head held high and her back straight she disappeared through the door.

It was only when she was alone in the hallway that she allowed herself to give in to those overwhelming feelings.

“Sansa?”

She looked up and saw Jon rushing towards her. His jeans were wrinkled and he was wearing a shirt he had clearly already worn a few days, but she didn’t mind. She allowed him to wrap his arms around her.

“I’m so sorry, Jon.”

“For what?” Jon caressed her hair and tightened his grip on her. “For choosing your kingdom over me?” He rocked her in his arms. “I understand. I promise that I have no criminal record and since I have no family I’m pretty sure they have none either. I’ve never spied. I never said anything bad about anyone who didn’t deserve it. I don’t even watch porn.”

Sansa laughed through her tears.

“If your government approves of me, I will be there. Always. Proudly being your second biggest love.”

“You deserve better than that.”

Jon pressed the palms of his hands to her cheeks and then his lips kissed her. “I don’t care. I want you. With your Kingdom.”

Sansa buried her head in his neck and she prayed to all the Gods. The old ones. The new ones. The ones she knew and the ones she didn’t. She prayed that her Government would see that Jon Snow was the best thing to ever happen to her and therefore Winterfell.


End file.
